Longtime state forester Joseph Perry has been named the 2020 recipient of the Howard F. Mason Forester of the Year Award by the Massachusetts Forest Alliance.
Perry, 65, has worked for the Department of Conservation & Recreation since 1978, most recently as a Service Forester working with landowners and timber harvesters. He formerly served as Supervisor of Myles Standish State Forest.
Perry has also volunteered for the Massachusetts Envirothon, an educational program where teams of students compete on research on environmental topics, and helped run the Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp, a two week outdoor learning program that lets teenagers learn outdoor skills and about forests, wetlands, and conservation.
“Joe has combined his love of forests and forestry with a passion for showing generations of kids how our forests and environment work, and how they can be involved,” said Forest Alliance President Dicken Crane.
The Mason Award is named after pioneering forester Howard Mason who helped establish better forestry practices in Massachusetts. It is presented each year to a forester who exemplifies Howard Mason’s legacy of mentoring, leadership, and excellence in forestry.